Brain abscess diagnosis

Brain abscess is often an ear, sinus, or tooth infection complication. Therefore, careful collection of anamnesis and listening to the patient's complaints are crucial for diagnosis. A neurologist can make a pre-diagnosis based on particular symptoms, such as a chronic infection and intracranial hypertension. In-depth studies then confirm or refute the alleged diagnosis. The primary method of examination is computed brain tomography. And magnetic resonance imaging clarifies the diagnosis. The illness may be diagnosed this way already on the first days. The study makes it possible to identify areas with changes in the shape and density of tissues. The contrast agent is unevenly accumulated and closer to the inflammatory hearth's periphery, less often in the center. The abscess already formed has precise contours and rounded outlines. If for some reason, imaging tests cannot be performed, then an echoencephalography or craniography is prescribed. With their help, it is possible to detect the displacement of brain structures, indicating that the abscess is compressing its tissues. Lab diagnostics also need to be more informative. For example, increased ESR, white blood cell count, and fever are complex symptoms of almost any inflammatory process, including intracranial ones. Finally, microbiological examination of purulent discharge establishes the causative agent of inflammation. Then, considering the sensitivity of the identified pathogen to antibiotics, doctors select a scheme of antibacterial therapy for each patient.